Imparting or improving water repellency of a substrate is desired for a number of substrates including organic or inorganic building components, for example, concrete, masonry, stucco, natural or artificial stone, ceramic, terracotta bricks, plaster board, fiber cement board, or other cement containing products, wood particle board, wood plastic composites, oriented strand board (OSB) or wood.
Desired water repellency properties are typically obtained by applying a water-repellent composition to an external surface of a substrate so as to create a water repellent coating on the substrate which protects the substrate from weathering and other deterioration. Most typically, at least an outermost surface of the substrates is treated to allow the substrate to be considered waterproof.
Silicones are known water repellents due to durability, hydrophobicity, and ease of application. For example, silicone resins in solvents and methylsiliconates have been used as water repellents. Siloxanes and silanes have also been utilized. However, these compounds tend to exhibit Volatile Organic Contents (VOCs) of more than 100 g/l which can be problematic. Accordingly, there remains an opportunity to develop improved products.